Light-sensitive materials comprising a light-sensitive layer containing silver halide, a reducing agent and a polymerizable compound provided on a support can be used in an image forming method in which a latent image of silver halide is formed, and then the polymerizable compound is polymerized to form the corresponding image.
Examples of the image forming methods are described in Japanese Patent Publications No. 45(1970)-11149 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,275), No. 47(1972)-20741 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,667) and No. 49(1974)-10697, and Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 57(1982)-138632, No. 57(1982)-142638, No. 57(1982)-176033, No. 57(1982)-211146 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,997), No. 58(1983)-107529 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,637), No. 58(1983)-121031 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,450) and No. 58(1983)-169143. In these image forming methods, when the exposed silver halide is developed using a developing solution, the polymerizable compound is induced to polymerize in the presence of a reducing agent (which is oxidized) to form a polymer image. Thus, these methods need a wet development process employing a developing solution. Therefore the process takes a relatively long time for the operation.
An improved image forming method employing a dry process is described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 61(1986)-69062 and No. 61(1986)-73145 (the contents of both publications are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,676 and European Patent Provisional Publication No. 0174634A2). In this image forming method, a recording material (i.e., light-sensitive material) comprising a light-sensitive layer containing a light-sensitive silver salt (i.e., silver halide), a reducing agent, a cross-linkable compound (i.e., polymerizable compound) and a binder provided on a support is imagewise exposed to light so as to form a latent image, and then the material is heated to form a polymer within the area where the latent image of the silver halide has been formed. The above method employing the dry process and the light-sensitive material employable for such method are also described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 61(1986)-183640, No. 61(1986)-188535, No. 61(1986)-228441 and No. 61(1986)-278849.
The above-mentioned image forming methods are based on the principle in which the polymerizable compound is polymerized within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has been formed.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 61(1986)-260241 described another image forming method in which the polymerizable compound within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has not been formed is polymerized. In this method, when the material is heated, the reducing agent functions as polymerization inhibitor within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has been formed, and the polymerizable compound within the other area is polymerized.
Another light-sensitive material comprising a light-sensitive layer containing a photo polymerizable composition or a photo polymerizable compound provided on a support is employed for an image-forming method, which comprises imagewise exposing the light-sensitive material to form a polymer within the exposed area. The light-sensitive material and the image-forming method are described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 57(1982)-179836, No. 58(1983)-88739, No. 58(1983)-88740 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,846) and No. 60(1985)-259490 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,235).
Further, Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 61(1986)-73145, No. 58(1983)-88739 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,209), No. 58(1983)-88740 and No. 60(1980)-259490 describe embodiments of the above-stated image-forming method, which comprise imagewise forming a polymer on the light-sensitive material, and pressing the light-sensitive material on an image-receiving material to transfer unpolymerized polymerizable compound (the term of "polymerizable compound" hereinafter sometimes includes the photo polymerizable composition and photo polymerizable compound) to the image-receiving material. In the image-forming method including the image transfer process, the components of the light-sensitive layer, such as silver halide, reducing agent and polymerizable compound are preferably contained in microcapsules which are dispersed in the light-sensitive layer.
As the support for the light-sensitive material, a paper is sometimes employed, because a paper is disposable, lightweight and easy to handle.